Advantage

VHL Trade Wars: Edition 5 (Season 60 Off-Season)

SEASON 60 OFF-SEASON

To SEA

S61 DAV 1st Round Pick (G - Roger Sterling) @Will

To DAV 

F - Gabriel McAllister @CowboyinAmerica

F - Otto Axelsson @Dangles13

Rights to D - Mats Johnsson @Quik

General Managers: Seattle @Banackock, Davos @Tyler

Date: June 4th, 2018

This is the fifth edition of the VHL Trade Wars, and I am your host Advantage, here to bring you another trade breakdown.  This one (and yes it is just one) is one of the biggest trades of the 60s with multiple Hall of Fame players involved and features two teams that we have looked at a lot already, Davos and of course, as seemingly always, Seattle.  

I decided to present this as a single trade given the legendary status this deal holds and the impact it would have over the next few seasons in the VHL.  At the time that this trade happened, most seemed to see it as an easy win for the Davos Dynamo, who looked primed for a dominant Continental Cup run after these acquisitions.  Even the Seattle Bears GM acknowledged that he felt he lost the deal stating, “For starters, quite the trade talks. For seconds, yeah, that's some heavy duty **** isn't it? Gabriel Mcallister alone could have grabbed the 4th overall pick and then som up until lately in this league and with how trading has been. This is what was offered and this is what the only team buying was willing to pay. They were very aware and took advantage, seizing the moment. Unfortunately, we're in a position where a rebuild should happen and it will.”

This quote pretty much sums up the consideration made by the Bears at the time of this move and it’s certainly a reasonable take.  As someone who GM’ed for quite some time in the league myself, there is a lot to the notion that your entire run can be stalled or accelerated depending on your timing of your rebuild.  My first run with the New York Americans was completely excelled when I traded into multiple incredible drafts landing future Hall of Fame players like Tom Slaughter, Xin Xie Xiao and Conner Low.  That being said, my time with the Vikings fell short of expectations, mainly due to my first major deal involving me trading for picks in what ended up being a bit of a dud draft.  Given that we only had 8 seasons with a player, timing is everything and the Bears felt they needed to make the move now.

This trade saw the Bears really begin their rebuild in style, moving impending Free Agent Mats Johnsson, a prime legendary veteran in Gabriel McAllister and a young center who was looking for a big jump after a respectable rookie season, all for a fourth overall pick in the upcoming VHL Entry Draft.  That pick would end up being Roger Sterling, a goalie who had a long and solid career as a starter in the Victory Hockey League, finishing his career with a 239-162-31 record over 439 games, spanning seven seasons (including five with Seattle).  He was never really a spectacular goaltender but was considered more a reliable regular season goaltender that unfortunately struggled at times in the playoffs.  While Seattle were certainly not playoff stalwarts during a lot of his time with the Bears, Roger Sterling’s lacklustre playoff statistics certainly did not help.  The goaltender finished his VHL career with 49 playoff starts and a 19-27-3 record, to be paired with a 3.19 GAA and a .910 Save Percentage, all far worse than the career averages of the Canadian netminder.  

With all that being said, this was actually a really solid trade for Seattle.  Did they overpay a bit? That could definitely be argued.  Johnsson ultimately was not signing back with the Bears though and Axelsson never really panned out like expected, meaning that the main value being exchanged for that fourth overall pick, was the prime years of Gabriel McAllister.  And it is important to note that McAllister would return to the Bears for his final season, after two campaigns spent with Davos.  The real value of this move was that it allowed the Bears to use their first overall pick to get the player they wanted in future Hall of Fame player and 100% generational talent, Matt Thompson.  A player that would go on to play 360 games with the Bears and scored 268 goals and tallied 519 points over that span.  And they could then use this extra pick to secure the goaltender they so desperately needed to kick the rebuild off right with some security in such a pivotal position.

The Dynamo side of things is also fairly obvious as they were looking to compete and wanted to add a couple major pieces to a team that needed someone to lead them.  That player was Gabriel McAllister and he certainly did that recording 198 points over two seasons with Davos and even winning the League MVP back in Season 61.  He wasn’t even close to finished that year though, as he would cruise to Playoff MVP with a dazzling 12 goals, 23 points and 87 hits over the course of 14 games, on route to a Continental Cup and making this trade all the more worth it for the Dynamo.

With that being said, while McAllister definitely made this deal one not to regret, Mats Johnsson and Otto Axelsson’s involvement don’t necessarily make it a definitive win either.  Mats Johnsson went on to sign with Calgary and enjoyed four more incredibly productive seasons in the VHL before retiring and later being inducted into the Hall of Fame.  While Axelsson was a solid player that proved to be pretty productive offensively (averaging 57 points a season over his 360 game career) but lacked the other necessary elements to take him past being just a solid second liner on a good team.  He ultimately would play just two seasons in Davos before also ending up back with Seattle, just like McAllister did.

Verdict: Winner – Draw: It has to be for me.  Davos definitely doesn’t regret this move as they would acquire the best player in the deal and he would lead them to two incredible years including a Continental Cup victory in Season 61.  While they swung for the fences in hoping to acquire Johnsson, the value of a McAllister for fourth overall deal was honestly fairly reasonable in the first place, so I certainly think Davos did pretty well here adding Axelsson (again, a decent complimentary piece on a cup winning team) in addition.  That being said, Seattle did well too adding a goaltender that would be able to carve out a really good and long career and allowed them to get their rebuild started right by adding one of the most hyped prospects in years at first overall and then adding the significant position of need at fourth.  Solid trade for both teams where the results met the team’s focus when they originally made this move.

1100+ Words (Claiming Week 1 of 2)

On 5/7/2023 at 2:12 PM, Triller said:

 

HOUSTON BULLS PRESSER!

Hello and welcome fellow Bulls to this weeks presser!  I am hoping to get to know you and your players and what your thoughts are on the season as we go!  Be sure to give me more than couple word answers as I love to read and also to appease our updater overlords!

Answer three questions for 1 capped TPE or all six for 2 capped TPE!
For the Week Ending May 14th, here are your questions!

 

1.  10 games left on the regular season!  What will be our record over those last 10 games?

2.  We will be heading into the playoffs as underdogs, do you prefer this or do you like having the league target on your head?

3.  Where do you want to be drafted to and if you are drafted, are you excited to join your next team?

4.  Our very own Viktor Jensen is 7th in the league in goals, only 4 from the top spot!  Where will he be at seasons end?

5.  I have a dog, do you have any pets?  If not, do you want one?

6.  Do you exercise much?  Are you a gym rat, a runner or is your work pretty physical already?

Thank you to everyone who participate in these pressers!  I always appreciated reading your answers!

 

Let's Go Bulls!

1. 6-3-1 would be my prediction honestly.  I think we are picking up steam.

2. I mean...it's always better to be the team that has been in better form and has that hype.  I think everyone has something to lose here..we all play to win.

3. I have no preference honestly and I will be excited but will definitely miss Houston once I am gone.  It has been a nice home this year.

4. Uh...i'll say 6th.  Can't see myself being able to climb too much really.

5. 2 dogs.  One puppy that is a handful and a half. 

6. Not really.  Kinda want to get back into it tho.  Do have a recumbant bike I occasionally use.

Jensen Prepping for VHL/VHLE Draft

Viktor Jensen has been very focused on being a part of what he is hoping to be a very successful campaign for the Houston Bulls.  He has done everything possible to help lead them offensively and has taken some strides defensively and physically as well.  With that being said, Jensen has recently admitted to be putting some attention on the upcoming drafts:

“I would be lying if I said I hadn’t paid any attention to it.  You hear the rumours and I have had conversations with some General Managers, so it’s pretty hard to avoid it all.  My number one focus is still on Houston, but my development into being the player I want to be, does go through these upcoming drafts.”

Jensen figures to be a pretty high selection in both the VHL and VHLE Drafts, with some having him pegged anywhere from first to third overall.  As for if he has any teams he is interested in playing for, Jensen had a typical but fairly thought out answer:

“No, not really.  I will honestly play for anyone that will draft me.  I do hope I can end up on a team that shares my personal vision of growth and having a fun environment.  With that being said, I think every team has a bit of that, so that’s why I am not too concerned on where I end up.”

Viktor Jensen (Center - Houston Bulls)

Biography

Early Life

Growing up in central Lillehammer, Norway, Viktor Jensen was born to a pair of decorated Norweigan athletes.  His father was a long-time member of the SEL and played over 400 games over the course of his career.  Jensen’s mother was a cross-country skier and actually represented Norway in two different Olympic games.  Therefore, it should be no surprise to see Viktor excel so much when he hit the ice surface.

At a young age, Viktor was taught how to skate on his backyard rink that is father had installed years prior when he was still playing.  With his dad coaching him and some of his friends occasionally coming over to play some pickup and share some tidbits of wisdom, it was pretty clear as he grew up that Viktor was on another level compared to a lot of the talent at his age.  It wasn’t until he got to High School, that he was starting to get some attention from North America.

Junior Hockey (QMJHL)

At the age of sixteen, Viktor Jensen would move away from his family to Quebec, in order to qualify for the QMJHL Draft.  Jensen’s father had played a spell in Quebec during his career, and had some friends who lived in the area, so the transition was not as hard as perhaps expected from someone in this situation.  He would end up being drafted by the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the mid rounds but would immediately make the team and have a decent impact for the squad on their third line.

Over the course of his three-year career in Sherbrooke, Jensen would play 191 games and record 58 goals and 123 assists for 181 points.  His third and final year would ultimately end up being his best, centering a line that included talented NHL prospect Joshua Roy, Jensen would end up tallying 23 goals and 68 assists for a career-high 91 points.

VHLM Career

After Sherbrooke was eliminated from the playoffs, Viktor Jensen immediately declared for the VHLM in order to hopefully sign with someone for the remainder of the season and potentially some playoff time as well.  After talking to a few teams, Jensen ultimately decided to sign with Mississauga and joined a pretty competitive team that was considered a bit of a darkhorse heading into the postseason.  He would record 3 points in 16 games before going pointless in a five game loss in the first round of the VHLM Playoffs.  It wasn’t necessarily the storybook beginning he was expecting in the VHLM, but playing incredibly limited minutes with new teammates was never going to be an easy transition for a prospect.

Despite some struggles, Jensen showed a fair bit in his 21 games with the Hounds, and given his pedigree in the QMJHL, the Houston Bulls decided to make him their second overall pick in the Season 88 VHLM Dispersal Draft.  The Bulls added several players and were expecting to be a team on the rise with a young nucleus and some solid veterans like Krishna leading the way on and off the ice. 

Jensen has recorded an impressive 30 goals and 59 points in 54 games with Houston.  He has been a shooting machine with nearly 300 shots directed towards the opposing net but has been just as impressive defensively as he has played in every situation for the Bulls this season.  Houston currently finds themselves third in the Western Conference, but has been on the rise lately with Jensen being one of the main contributors so far.

What Scouts Have to Say

Time will tell if Jensen can take what he has learned in the VHLM and become an even better player at both the VHLE and the VHL, but he certainly has shown a lot of talent along the way, and many scouts are pegging him to be one of the top picks in the upcoming Season 89 VHL and VHLE Drafts.  Lets take a look and see what some scouts have to say about Jensen’s time in the VHLM and what they expect to see from him down the road:

“I’ve watched Viktor play since he was in Norway, and he has never not impressed me.  He brings a lot of offensive ability to the table and always has.  For me though, it has always been his defensive acumen and his willingness to grow that part of his game, which has always impressed me.  If it all comes together, I definitely think he can be an elite player in the best league in the world.”

“I’m a bit skeptical if I think he has an elite offensive potential, but I do think he could become a solid two-way center that could find his way anywhere from the first to second line.  I think his offensive skills probably will top out around 50 points or so, but he has the ability to be a decent faceoff guy and is pretty skilled at getting his stick in the passing lanes.”

VIKTOR JENSEN

Position: Center

Team: Houston Bulls 

Country: Norway 

Draft Notes

Viktor Jensen is a dazzling prospect that has impressed many with his goal scoring aptitude and brilliant offensive vision, while being a reliable two-way center over the course of his time in the VHLM.  

VHLM Career

After playing three seasons in the QMJHL, Viktor Jensen signed with the Mississauga Hounds of the VHLM.  He would play 16 games over the course of that first season, and while he recorded a few points, it has been this season that has really helped Jensen stand out from the rest of his draft class competition.

Jensen was selected second overall by the Houston Bulls in the Season 88 VHLM Draft, and he has been a unit anchoring the top line for the Texas based team.  Jensen currently leads the Bulls in goals and points with a solid 30 goals and 59 points in 54 games.  He has chipped in a solid 82 hits and has 7 game-winning-goals on route to what will likely be a solid darkhorse team come playoff time.

Strengths

Scoring Aptitude - One thing has definitely stood out about Viktor Jensen's second season in the VHLM, and that has been how dangerous he has been with and without the puck.  With 30 goals in just 54 games, he currently sits sixth in the entire VHLM in goalscoring, and is within striking distance of the lead.  His shot has been impressive, especially his wrister from within the hashmarks.

Passing - The interesting thing is that while he has shown a lot of incredible potential with his goalscoring, it was his vision and playmaking skill that he was known for in junior.  He is someone that could actually turn into an even better passer than he is a scorer, as he develops with better talent in the VHLE and VHL.

Defense - Viktor Jensen is someone that is always keeping in mind every part of the ice.  He is someone who definitely loves to contribute offensively, but is regularly seen on the Penalty Kill and in key defensive situations as well.  With further improvements with his faceoff ability, you may be looking at a complete two-way anchor down the middle for a long time in the VHLM.

Weaknesses

Physicality - While Viktor Jensen is not necessarily a small player, he has had some difficulty adjusting to the physicality and size of some of the players in the VHLM.  He has taken the third most hits in the league, with 249 of them in 54 games.  This could become an even bigger as he moves up, unless he is able to have a better adjustment at the higher level.

Skating - While a decent skater, a big part of his eventual improvement as a hockey player will be based around his skating.  Graded a 'C' skater by most scouts of the VHL, there is a lot of room to grow here for the young Norweigan center, and most seem to be banking on it with how they are ranking him in the upcoming draft.

Faceoffs - An average VHLM faceoff taker, Viktor Jensen has shown a great willingness in improving on draws as he moves up.  As someone who has shown solid defensive skills and the ability to kill penalties, this will be a big step in becoming an elite two-way player.

On 4/30/2023 at 2:09 PM, Triller said:

 

HOUSTON BULLS PRESSER!

1.  We made a trade!  F - Nick ShaunYoungca for D - Eurydyka Sklodowska Dudzinska. Do you think we made a good move?

2.  Do you think we should make more moves before the deadline?

3.  What did you think of the Retro Theme Week this season?

4.  After hanging out in the LR for awhile now, anything you want to see changed or added?

5.  With Summer coming for most of us, do you expect your TPE production to drop?

6.  I have a friend that only drinks water.  What is your favorite drink?  Alcoholic and non! 

1. Absolutely.  Big add to our defense and much needed honestly.

2. Probably but it's tough without knowing what's really out there.  I think we are definitely worse than a couple of teams at the minimum, but it's a tight league and you never know.

3. It was ok..I feel like it's a retread but it's an easy one for a lot of people to do.  And it does have to be vague enough for anyone to contribute.

4. No not really.  It's a pretty good vibe and as a part time discorder I enjoy as is.

5. Nope nothing changes in Summer

6. Probably diet coke with a little lime juice and Malibu.

Week 2 of 2

It hasn't been an easy season for Viktor Jensen as he was expected to tear the league apart as a member of a top team, and those expectations haven't necessarily been met.  While he has been above a point per game and has been leading the team in points, it has been his goal scoring abilities leading the way.  Jensen finds himself just four goals back of the league lead and on pace for a 40 goal season. 

"It hadn't really been what he was known for in the past.  Good face-off guy, excellent playmaker, decent zone to zone two way center...sure.  But I don't think I've ever seen him as a sniper or a trigger man, but that's exactly what he has been for Houston this season.  It's an intriguing element to someone who will challenge for number one overall pick in the upcoming VHL Draft."

- Anonymous VHL Scout

Jensen will look to help guide the Houston Bulls to a solid playoff run and hopefully with some of the moves they have been making, they can start to challenge the top contenders in the VHLM.

VHL Trade Wars: Edition 4 (Season 60 Off-Season)

Welcome to the fourth edition of the VHL Trade Wars, and this will be a bit shorter than the others as we look into what ended up being a very significant deal in terms of the assets involved in those move.  Normally, I will be looking into multiple trades but I will be on vacation in Florida a few weeks from now, and I wanted to buy myself a couple of weeks in PT’s and then write a long one just before I go. 

Additionally, I figured I could use this for Retro Week as we are looking back into the past and what better way than the deal that brought one of the best VHL players of all-time to the Riga Reign in what was honestly a pretty one-sided move given the career trajectory of the two major players involved.  With that being said, I hope you all enjoy this edition of the VHL Trade Wars, and you will see me back in a couple weeks with an even longer one that has some pretty incredible talent (including another generational talent that has often been compared the legend in this move as well).

SEASON 60 OFF-SEASON

To QUE 

S61 RIG 1st Round Pick (Samuel Gate) @scoop

To RIG 

S61 QUE 1st Round Pick (Podrick Cast) @Victor

S61 NYA 2nd Round Pick (Jesper Stromberg) @Tim

General Managers: @hedgehog337 (RIG), @Beaviss (QUE)

Date: May 31^st, 2018

This one kinda hurts for Quebec.  That being said, I understand some of their perspective when they made this deal.  This trade saw Quebec moving up a spot in the draft (from third to second overall) and using a late second round pick in order to sweeten the pot and get the guy they wanted.  I’m not sure if there was an understanding from Riga on who Quebec was targeting by wanting to move up, but it is safe to say that Riga ended up with the player they wanted in the end.

Quebec used that second overall pick on Samuel Gate, a defenseman from the Hall of Fame Scoop agency that managed incredible players like Benjamin Glover and Diana Maxwell, in the past.  They were clearly looking to ensure that they would be able to select the defenseman and considering he was 28 TPE ahead of Podrick Cast at the time, it’s understandable why they made this move.  With that being said, Samuel Gate definitely didn’t work out the way they ultimately hoped he would.  Gate would play six seasons in the Victory Hockey League, four of which were with Quebec and the other two with Vancouver and Seattle.  He found some decent success in the VHL, recording 388 points, 1198 hits and 766 blocked shots in 432 games.  His last season would be the cherry on the top of the sundae, when he recorded an impressive 93 points, 251 hits and 159 blocked shots, on route to a Sterling Labatte Trophy for Top Defenseman in the VHL.  He also took home the Alexander Beketov Trophy (Most Assists in the VHL) and the Jake Wylde Trophy (Best Defensive Defenseman), in what was a really tremendous way to end his career.

With that being said, while Gate had a productive career, he was never the individual talent that Quebec was expecting when they moved up to second overall in order to take him.  He was a consistently solid physical presence and someone that was a really good #2 defenseman, but other than his last season, never really played like a play-driving anchor on a championship defense core.  He also struggled quite a bit in the playoffs, with just 15 points in 27 games and never scoring more than 6 points in a single playoff campaign.  He actually reminds me a lot of my first player, Michael Angelo, who was mostly known for one absolutely ridiculous season while being a consistent solid two-way defender throughout the rest of his career, but nothing spectacular.

Meanwhile, it’s pretty clear that Riga wanted Podrick Cast all along and was absolutely thrilled to move down a spot to select him.  This works slightly in their favour since Cast obviously had the much better career, but it’s really the only way to judge this.  Lets get the second round pick out of the way first, as Stromberg only played one season in the VHLM and never went on in the league any further, bowing out before ever hitting the Victory Hockey League. 

Podrick Cast, on the other hand, is one of the greatest players in VHL History.  It was definitely not something that was likely expected when Riga made this deal, but with the incredible reputation of the Victor agency, it isn’t surprising that he would have the better player out of the two main ones involved in this deal.  Cast would score 379 goals and 846 points in his 576 game career, spanning eight seasons, six of which were with Riga and the other two on Moscow.  He helped the Reign win the Season 63 Continental Cup and won several individual awards including the Scotty Campbell Trophy (League MVP) in Season 62 and 64, the Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding Player) in Season 62, the Mike Szatkowski Trophy (Most Points in the League) and the Kevin Brooks Trophy (Most Goals in the League).  He was a Hall of Fame inductee and first ballot at that in Season 69.  Undoubtedly a generational player, the impact he made on Riga was massive and made them an instant threat whenever he stepped onto the ice.

Verdict: Winner – Hedgehog337 (Riga) – Without a doubt I have to give the Reign the edge for the pure asset management win here.  Quebec made an aggressive move to acquire the better player at the time and the defender at that, but ultimately Gate’s ceiling ended up a lot lower in the end, and Cast was an absolute generational talent.  His offensive skills were on another level and for that reason alone, Riga has to take the win here.

1005 Words - Claiming Week 1 of 2

On 4/23/2023 at 1:37 PM, Triller said:

 

HOUSTON BULLS PRESSER!

Hello and welcome fellow Bulls to this weeks presser!  I am hoping to get to know you and your players and what your thoughts are on the season as we go!  Be sure to give me more than couple word answers as I love to read and also to appease our updater overlords!

Answer three questions for 1 capped TPE or all six for 2 capped TPE!
For the Week Ending Apr 30th, here are your questions!

 

1.  Good choices if I do say so myself.  Solid leadership core 100%

2.  Not really.  I'm not super surprised but I do think we are trending in the right direction.

3.  Uh, i'll cheap out here and just say Jensen likes playing with everyone.  So far, Tzesar has been someone that does a lot Victor doesn't do, so he'd say him.

4.  No, I don't think so. Been there and done that.

5.  No not really at this point.  

6.  Yeah I enjoy it.  There's a lot of bugs but otherwise i've camped a lot of my life.

 

 

Let's Go Bulls!

Jensen Not Standing Out with Individual Play; Not Concerned about Draft Status

It has not necessarily been the draft year that Viktor Jensen was expecting to have when he was selected second overall by the Houston Bulls. The forward has a respectable but unspectacular 37 points in 36 games with a team leading 20 goals. While these are good numbers, a lot has been made that he hasn't been able to create a lot of offense for himself and he has benefited from playing with some better all around players. Additionally, he hasn't had the impact in the face-off dot that he was expecting to have. 

 "I definitely expected him to be a more impactful 200 foot player. He's good and he will go high, but I don't think he's been as impressive as some hoped he'd be." - VHL Scout

Jensen has shown a fair amount of confidence though in his second season in the VHLM, and his first with the Bulls. And when pressed by the media on whether he is concerned about slipping in the draft like some analysts are thinking he may, Jensen showed little concern, "I don't think I really am focused on anything but helping this team win. It's a boring take but I don't care about my draft status. The way I see it, if I do my job and help my team win, my draft status will probably take care of itself."

- 240 Words 

PS: sorry really high and doing it on phone, hope it's ok

1.  With a few games played now, is your player performing as expected?

Eh, more or less.  I expected slightly better production but nothing I can do about it.  Just hope the team gets some better results.

2.  What do you want to improve on your player?

Eventually, everything..but faceoffs is one of the areas I want to improve the most on.

3.  Who is looking like the biggest threat in our conference?

Mexico City.  They have the best record in our conference and one of the best in the entire league.  They also maintain the best goal differential in the entire VHLM.

4.  What team would you pick as our rival so far?

Probably Mexico City as well.  We want to be the best in the league and I have them as the best in the league, and additionally they are far and away the best in our conference.  No question in my opinion.

5.  Who are you picking to win the Stanley Cup in the NHL?

I have the Bruins winning ultimately I think.  Have them over Colorado in the finals.

6.  With summer right around the corner, do you have any big vacation plans?

Going to Disney in May (12th-17th).  Finishing up our honeymoon after Hurricane Ian knocked out a few days of it.

Great way to write inactives off.

Claiming Week 3 of 3

On 4/9/2023 at 12:46 PM, Triller said:

 

HOUSTON BULLS PRESSER!

Hello and welcome fellow Bulls to this weeks presser!  I am hoping to get to know you and your players and what your thoughts are on the season as we go!  Be sure to give me more than couple word answers as I love to read and also to appease our updater overlords!

Answer three questions for 1 capped TPE or all six for 2 capped TPE!
For the Week Ending Apr 16th, here are your questions!

 

1.  Where do you think our teams biggest weak spot is?

2.  What do you think makes a good VHLM team?

3.  What are your goals for your player, team success, individual accolades, both, Hall of Fame?

4.  What do you think of the Houston Bulls logo?

5.  Are you or your player a smack talker?

6.  What do you think of all the talk of AI generated art and media?

Thank you to everyone who participate in these pressers!  I always appreciated reading your answers!

 

Let's Go Bulls!

1. We have a lot of holes.  Up front is probably the biggest one.

2. Great balance and depth.  

3. Would love HOF and individual success, but team is most important for me. I want cups.

4. Pretty good.  I like most of them.  While it's not my fav in VHLM its prob middle of the pack.

5. No not really.  More quiet than anything else.

6. Uhhhhh..honestly cant say I keep up with it.

Claiming Week 2 of 3

Jensen Off to Solid Start Through First Eight Games

Viktor Jensen has a sizable amount of expectations around the potential season he could have, coming off being selected second overall by the Houston Bulls.  He has found himself down the middle on the top line for the Bulls, and is currently tied for the team lead in points with nine, while scoring a surprisingly impressive five goals for someone who is widely considered more of a playmaker.  It has been a bit of a common occurrence lately to see Jensen improving on a new aspect of his game with a lot of development being seen on his shooting, playmaking and puckhandling while adding another element of speed to his game over the last off-season.

"We saw all the improvement he had shown as a member of the Brigade in the Junior Showcase Tournament.  I'm not surprised whatsoever to see him producing and it's nice to see the results being shown against some pretty impressive teams.  I am surprised to see him scoring as much as he has been, as his puck-moving his always been the calling card, but it seems clear from this start and the way he was scoring goals in the JST, that Viktor has been focusing on being a better sniper and has made some pretty incredible steps. - Anonymous VHL Scout

Jensen will hope to continue his progression as the Bulls continue their season.  It will be interesting to see if he can ramp the production up as they face some likely lesser teams as the season moves on.  He may need to if he wants to win the battle to be selected first overall in the VHL Draft.  Granted, this does not seem to be a concern for Jensen.  "I don't really care what pick I get selected at.  I am just focused on improving my game and helping this team win."

VHL Trade Wars: Edition 3 (Season 60)

This is the third edition of VHL Trade Wars as we will once again look at two trades that happened in Season 60 (the last two prior to the off-season).  Last edition we saw players of the caliber of a Lukas Muller and Vern Reinholdt being traded around, while picks acquired were used to take steals like Mikka Pajari.  This edition will be a little less laced with major talents or picks that were used to acquire future huge pieces that would play in the VHL, but still features a couple players that put in some solid time in the VHL. 

Just in case you aren’t as familiar with how I typically have ran these, I choose this timeline (starting in Season 60) as there is far more information regarding the seasons that would take place after this point due to the portal and how it tracks everything.  My typical focus is more on the face value of a deal as opposed to future moves that were made off of these since I will looking at them down the line anyway.  That being said, as you will see in this article, part of my verdict isn’t always as simple as looking at the names and the stats in the deal.  Sometimes, there are reasons to move a player like needing to create cap room or giving a guy a chance to go for a Continental Cup in a bigger role.  Perhaps that was a little bit of foreshadowing? Stay tuned and you will see.

Once again, feel free to respond with any opinions or critiques of the article as I know some of you may be a bit more familiar with the stakes of some of these transactions.  With that being said, lets get to the moves!

SEASON 60

To CGY 

Xander Finn @Jericho

To RIG 

S61 CGY 4th Round Pick (N/A)

S62 CGY 3rd (Jack Stucky) @stucky71

GM's: @Bushito (CGY), @hedgehog337 (RIG)

Date:  May 14th, 2018

Oh look, more friends…this trade saw the Wranglers acquire Xander Finn, a former 100 point player that was in the final season of his career and was eyeing the Continental Cup which he had never had the opportunity to win before.  Finn started his VHL career as a member of the Stockholm Vikings (Not the VHLE version) where he would play his first three seasons and found continued growth and development, reaching 90 points in Season 55.  The next season saw him off to Toronto for what would be the best season of his career; a mesmerizing 109 point and 131 hit campaign that saw the young center record what would become career highs in goals, assists and points.  Finn actually became far more of a depth piece after his first few seasons in the league, but had a pretty impressive offensive career recording 538 career points in 576 games and was even a pretty physical presence throughout with over 1400 hits.  This trade saw Finn joining the Wranglers for the rest of the season in what would be his last.  He finished his season with a solid 59 points in 72 games and went on to be pretty productive in the playoffs with 7 points and 28 hits in 9 games.  While he would fall short of winning the Continental Cup, he gave the Wranglers some really solid minutes for the rest of the year.

Riga acquired a third round pick that was used to select Jack Stucky, a player that sadly never made it past two seasons in the VHLM.  Recording 77 points in 137 career VHLM games over those two seasons, Stucky would choose to move on from professional hockey, with no specific reason sighted.  Much speculation has been made on whether or not there was a falling out with a teammate or some kind of health issue that prevented him from continuing to play, but it seems that we may never know.  Stucky has since stayed out of the public eye and hasn’t been seen in quite some time.  The fourth round pick the Riga Reign would acquire would end up being a rather useless addition as the draft never made it to a fourth round in the end.  Not exactly what they probably hoped would come out of those two picks, but ultimately the move was sending a depth player in his last year to a team that had perhaps a chance to use him in a better role and in a spot where he could potentially win a Continental Cup.  So while value wise, this is a pretty obvious one, cheers to the Reign for making a good move by Mr. Finn.

Verdict: Winner – Bushito (Calgary) – It has to be right? Finn actually ended up being a good piece for the rest of the season and had a very productive playoffs for the Wranglers.  He may have only been there for the rest of that season, but he was traded for a player who played two seasons in the VHLM and then retired, and a pick that wasn’t used as there was no fourth round.  Riga did a necessary move that I would have made myself had I been GM, but good on the Wranglers for getting a valuable rental for next to nothing.

SEASON 60

To QUE 

S61 SEA 5th Round Pick (N/A)

D – Matthieu Bourdon @Lunaro

To SEA 

S61 QUE 5th Round Pick (N/A)

Date: May 14th, 2016

This second trade is actually an interesting one as it was done as part of a three team deal that included the previous trade we looked at involving Vern Reinholdt in the previous edition of VHL Trade Wars.  The Seattle Bears were looking to move off of some cap space in order to bring Reinholdt in, and therefore used this deal to help with that, sending Matthieu Bourdon and a pick to the Quebec City Meute, in exchange for a pick of their own. 

Bourdon was a depth defenseman that was in just their fourth year in the league.  They had previously been a member of Quebec City back in Season 58 and would spend three seasons there in total (along with time with the Seattle Bears, Riga Reign and New York Americans).  While certainly Bourdon never moved the needle for any of their teams in a major way, constantly finding themselves on basement dwelling teams, they did actually have a pretty respectable overall career.  Bourdon, who played a pretty impressive 504 career VHL games, finished with 307 career points and 1261 blocked shots, showing a knack for getting their body in the line of fire while doing what they could to help out offensively.  Perhaps their best overall season came in Season 62, with the New York Americans, where they finished with 69 points, 119 hits and 250 blocked shots in 72 games.  The fifth round pick that accompanied Bourdon in this trade ended up being nothing as the draft didn’t end up going long enough for that pick to be made.

Verdict: Winner – Beaviss (Quebec) - There isn’t too much sense talking about the return given the pick that Seattle acquired was never used as the draft didn’t end up going five rounds, but this was simply a cap space move.  With that being said, I judge things purely on the value of the pieces going back and forth, and Bourdon was the only thing of value in this deal.  That being said, obviously one has to acknowledge that Seattle was doing this to clear cap space.  It’s just a shame that what they acquired wasn’t even like a late round pick on a lesser prospect where they could have went for the steal.  That being said, Bourdon actually played a depth role on that mediocre team for another season so ultimately, I am going to give the “win” to Beaviss and the Meute.

---

As a little bit of an ending here for this article, I want to add that this will be the end of the Season 60 Transactions.  Next up will be the Season 60 off-season deals which will see a much more significant number of deals and a lot of higher quality being exchanged.  This may mean some articles will have more or less deals just so I don’t drag the articles on too much as I go through out very lengthy transaction log.  Due to this, I will also be looking for any advice you guys may have on how I can improve these articles.  I try to do what I can in terms of research and coming up with fairly detailed content, but I have also been considering doing interviews with some of the GM’s that may still be around, for some of the more significant moves.  Time will tell if adding something like that is necessary or not given the amount of time that has passed since some of these moves, but I’m just spitballing.  Hope you all enjoyed and got some insight out of this edition of the VHL Trade Wars, and we will see you in a couple more weeks where we will enter into the Season 61 Off-Season.

1502 Words (Claiming Week 1 of 3)

On 4/2/2023 at 12:30 PM, Triller said:

 

HOUSTON BULLS PRESSER!

Hello and welcome fellow Bulls to this weeks presser!  I am hoping to get to know you and your players and what your thoughts are on the season as we go!  Be sure to give me more than couple word answers as I love to read and also to appease our updater overlords!

Answer three questions for 1 capped TPE or all six for 2 capped TPE!
For the Week Ending Apr 9th, here are your questions!

 

1.  What do you think of the Bulls starting roster for this season?

2.  Did you play in any off-season tournaments?

3.  What stats are you most focused on for your player?

4.  Where do you think we will land in the standings this season and why?

5.  How did you come up with your player name?

6.  Where are you from?  No address required!

Thank you to everyone who participated in these pressers this season.  I always appreciated reading your answers!

 

Let's Go Bulls!

1. I think it's pretty solid.  I'm hoping with consistent improvement as the season goes on we can start to translate a good team on paper into some great results.

2. I did.  Won as a member of the Brigade in the JST and had a pretty good showing.  Nice to see the skillset at work.

3. Right now, points and faceoffs.  But more importantly, I am focused on Wins.

4. I am optimistic we will be a top-3 team.  I think we have some really good talent and experienced players in the right places and it will just take a little gelling for us.

5. To be honest, don't really have an explanation.  The ideas just come to me.  Decided to be a little different on first name to differ from @Victor

6. Born in Kingston (just in the hospital though)..Raised in Trenton, Ontario.  Have lived in Peterborough (University and College) and Ottawa (2 years) and now living close to home in Belleville, Ontario.

G - Clueless Wallob

12 hours ago, diamond_ace said:

Re: section 1

 

I've always deferred to Karl Popper's Paradox of Tolerance on that one. True tolerance must necessarily exclude tolerating the intolerant, because intolerant ideas will eventually tear down tolerant ones and take over if allowed to take root. I'm firmly on the side that bigotry and hate are 100% to be kept out of the community, even if it means we go against the purest form of "free speech" in doing so. We're an independent community, not beholden to anything larger than that. A city might legally have to allow a permit for a neo nazi rally for example, since they're an extension of the government - we don't have to do anything of the sort. 

Not to pile it on but this pretty much sums it up.

For the most part I have appreciated how the league deals with these things lately, while there was certainly a time where I felt we fell short.

D - Callum Murray

F - Girts Galvins

@MubbleFubbles

Yeah I'm not sure technically when but I first became active in 2010 and had a player probably in 2008 when I was mainly in football leagues.

@MubbleFubbles  You up boo.